What makes a good antagonist?
First, let’s define antagonist. An antagonist is a character who embodies the protagonist’s main obstacle to getting what they want. An antagonist can be a monster, but a monster is not always an antagonist. A good antagonist is the biggest challenge the protagonist will ever face, someone that will challenge the protagonist to be the very best he can be. A great antagonist is also a reflection of the protagonist. A classic antagonist is one for whom the protagonist is also a great antagonist, bringing out the best efforts of both.
One classic example is Batman’s Joker. Arresting purse snatchers and sub-prime lenders would be a waste of Batman’s extraordinary skills. There would be no opportunity to show off. Only the Joker gives Batman the opportunity to really be The Batman. And vice-versa—Batman brings out the best in the Joker. That’s why they seem to almost seek each other out, because all human beings need challenges.
They also have a lot in common. They’re both vain. They’re both moody, intelligent loners. They’re both carrying around old grudges. They both like to hide behind masks. And they’re both drawn to the Good vs Evil way of life. And just as the Joker is always the fly in Batman’s ointment, so Batman is always the biggest the obstacle in the Joker’s way. But what makes the Joker a truly great antagonist is the fact that he can blame Batman for making him into the Joker. The Joker is a reflection of the potentially destructive vanity that haunts Batman as his potentially fatal character flaw.
Another classic antoagonist appears in the first Rocky movie. Apollo creed is talented, smart, and undefeated. He overlooks Rocky. He doesn’t train as hard as he could. Rocky, as Apollo’s antagonist, lures Apollo into indulging in his own greatest flaw—hubris. But Rocky is an antagonist unlike any Apollo has fought before, a kind of human bulldozer who doesn’t know when to quit. And Apollo happens to be Rocky’s life-defining challenge, something that Apollo should have understood, as a fellow boxer, but to which he is blinded by his own overconfidence. In the ring, Apollo faces the toughest fight of his life, partly due to his lazy vanity, and partly due to Rocky’s own greatest character asset—his determination.
Like Rocky, Apollo—who has everything to lose in this fight—must also reach down deep inside and find something in himself that he never had to use before. Superior talent alone will not defeat Rocky. Apollo’s victory dance, when the fight is finally over, is not one of a vain superman triumphing over “the bum of the month,” but one of a person who has earned victory through overcoming a tough personal challenge.
The richness of this relationship between protagonist Rocky and Antagonist Apollo is one of the big factors that made Rocky the number-one box office draw in history up to that time and made it a shoe-in for an Oscar or two. It’s now considered one of the best movies ever made. Filmed in 28 nights on a shoestring budget, Rocky shows how far good writing, including a good antagonist, can carry a movie. Or a book or a TV series.
One classic example is Batman’s Joker. Arresting purse snatchers and sub-prime lenders would be a waste of Batman’s extraordinary skills. There would be no opportunity to show off. Only the Joker gives Batman the opportunity to really be The Batman. And vice-versa—Batman brings out the best in the Joker. That’s why they seem to almost seek each other out, because all human beings need challenges.
They also have a lot in common. They’re both vain. They’re both moody, intelligent loners. They’re both carrying around old grudges. They both like to hide behind masks. And they’re both drawn to the Good vs Evil way of life. And just as the Joker is always the fly in Batman’s ointment, so Batman is always the biggest the obstacle in the Joker’s way. But what makes the Joker a truly great antagonist is the fact that he can blame Batman for making him into the Joker. The Joker is a reflection of the potentially destructive vanity that haunts Batman as his potentially fatal character flaw.
Another classic antoagonist appears in the first Rocky movie. Apollo creed is talented, smart, and undefeated. He overlooks Rocky. He doesn’t train as hard as he could. Rocky, as Apollo’s antagonist, lures Apollo into indulging in his own greatest flaw—hubris. But Rocky is an antagonist unlike any Apollo has fought before, a kind of human bulldozer who doesn’t know when to quit. And Apollo happens to be Rocky’s life-defining challenge, something that Apollo should have understood, as a fellow boxer, but to which he is blinded by his own overconfidence. In the ring, Apollo faces the toughest fight of his life, partly due to his lazy vanity, and partly due to Rocky’s own greatest character asset—his determination.
Like Rocky, Apollo—who has everything to lose in this fight—must also reach down deep inside and find something in himself that he never had to use before. Superior talent alone will not defeat Rocky. Apollo’s victory dance, when the fight is finally over, is not one of a vain superman triumphing over “the bum of the month,” but one of a person who has earned victory through overcoming a tough personal challenge.
The richness of this relationship between protagonist Rocky and Antagonist Apollo is one of the big factors that made Rocky the number-one box office draw in history up to that time and made it a shoe-in for an Oscar or two. It’s now considered one of the best movies ever made. Filmed in 28 nights on a shoestring budget, Rocky shows how far good writing, including a good antagonist, can carry a movie. Or a book or a TV series.
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